Road sanding apparatus



Jan. 30, 1945. 'c HOPKINS v 2,368,470

ROAD SANDiNG APPARATUS Filed May 23, 1941 i s Sheets-Sheet 1 3 I-nvE IITn12 1119721019 E HQPKINS ATTIJHNEY JanQ30, 1945. D A. c. HOPKINS2,368,470

- ROAD SANDING APPARATUS Filed May 23, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 I My ENT DR AR mzm 6'. Hapzrms ATT DHKEY Jan. 30, 1945. A. c. HCQ)PKINS 2,368,470.

ROAD SANDING APPARATUS Filed May 23, 1941 3 Sheets- Sheet 3 J6 25 @(i J54 IIIVENTDR 27110)? 5. Hupxms' 1 Zaf-fi ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 30, 1945UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

Arthur 0. Hopkins, Tupper Lake, N. Y., assignor to Artomatic MachineryCorp., Tupper Lake, .N. Y., a corporation of New York Application May23, 1941, Serial No. 394,862

3 Claims.

This invention pertains to a road sanding apparatus which may be mountedupon a standard motor truck chassis of suitable size, preferably onehaving a conventional auxiliary power take-off mechanism.

An object of this invention is to provide a road sanding apparatuscomprising a hopper having an open bottom provided with an improveddischarging mechanismcapable of delivering sanding material from thehopper to a spreading mechanism at a rate automatically varying inaccordance with the speed of travel of the truck on which the sandingapparatus is mounted, said discharging mechanism including an endlessconveyor'positioned immediately beneath the open bottom of the hopperand serving substantially to close the sameand to support the materialcontained in said hopper.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide an improvedconveyor mechanism which is simple and durable in construction and ispositive and economical in operation.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a suitable drivemechanism associated with,

the drive shaft and power take-off mechanism of the truck for actuatingthe conveyor in either a forward or a rearward direction, the operationof the conveyor in the forward direction being H compact stream at therear of the truck independent of the movement of the truck.

A still further object of the invention is to provide simple andefficient mechanical means functioning independently of the speed ofoperation of the truck and conveyor for receiving the materialdischarged from the conveyor and distributing the same evenly upon theroad bed.

These and other objects and advantages pertaining to the specificconstruction of the apparatus and to the form and relation of the partsthereof will more fully appear from the following description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a motor truck having a sanding apparatusembodying the various features of this invention operatively mountedthereon. r I I Figure 2 is an enlarged transverse sectional view takensubstantially on line 2-2, Figure 1, portions of the hopper being brokenaway.

C onveyor Figure 3 is a detail vertical sectional view takensubstantially on line 3-3, Figure 2, intermediate portions of the hopperand conveyor being broken away.

Figure 4 is a detail horizontal sectional view showing my improvedspreader mechanism and the drive mechanism for operating the conveyor.

Figure 5 is an enlarged de'tail horizontal sec- The sanding apparatus,as illustrated in the drawings, comprises primarily a hopper III, aspreader II and a conveyor l2 for transferring the material contained inthe hopper Ill to the spreader ll.

The hopper H] has downwardly and inwardly inclined side walls I I, adownwardly and rearwardly inclined front end wall it: and averticallydisposed rear end wall 16. The sides l4 are'secured at their, loweredges, as by angle bars H, to a base or frame I 8. The base l8 comprisesside channel bars 19 arranged in an upright position, connected at theirforward ends by an end plate 20,, and supported upon and secured tocross bars 2|. These cross bars 2| rest upon and extend transversely ofthe truck chassis or'frame from one sill 22 to the other sill 22 of thetruck chassis, to which sills they are suitably secured. The hopper i0is provided with inwardly extending deflector blades 23 arrangedlongitudinally of the hopper at the upper sides of the base [8 adjacentthe side bars I9. These deflector blades may be secured to the hopperand base l8 in any suitable manner, as by the angle bars H as shown inFigure 2.

The conveyor I2 is mounted within the base l8, as shown in Figures 2 and3, beneath the deflector blades 23. This conveyor comprises a pair ofendless link-belts 25, each of which travels over a pair of sprocketwheels 26 and 21 mounted upon corresponding shafts 28 and 29. The shafts28 and 29 extend transversely through the base l8 and are journaled inthe side members l9. The shaft 29 is mounted in the base [8 adjacent therear end of the hopper 10, while the shaft 28 is positioned at theforward end of the baseflin advance of the forward end l5 of the hopperOne end of shaft 28 extends outwardly beyond the adjacent side member I9and has secured thereto a worm gear 3| which has meshing engagement unit42 connected with the transmission gearing of the truck drive mechanismcontained in the usual manner in a case indicated at 43.

It will be understood that the power take-off mechanism and theconnection thereof with the transmission gearing of the truck may be ofany suitable construction, and as usual, the power take-off is providedwith an operating lever 45 which may extend upward into the cab C of thetruck'whereby the operation of the power takeofi mechanismmay bemanually controlled.

The lirikgbelts 25 of the conveyor [2 are of conventional construction,comprising side bars el and 48 connected by pins 49. Mounted on each pin49 between the links 4'! and 48 is a roller 50. m order that thelink-belts willnot sag inter mediate the sprockets 25 and 21 there areprovided two sets of track members 52 and 53. One set of the trackmembers, as 52, is secured to the adjacent side bars IQ of the base I8in position to be engaged by the rollers 55] at the upper run of thebelt; The other set of track'members-53 is secured to the cross bars itof the base 18, as indicated in Figure 2, for supporting the lower runof the linli -belts.

The link side bars 48 positioned at the inner sides of the link-beltsare provided with laterally disposed attachment lugs 48' to which aresecured attachment arms 55 asby rivets 56. The attachment arms 55 ofcorresponding opposed links 48 of the link-belts are secured as byelectric' welding to corresponding ends of trough-like bars 51 disposedtransversely between the linkbelts. These bars 51 are V-shaped in crosssection and are so constructed and secured to the attachment arms 55'that the longitudinal edges of each bar substantially coincide with thelines connecting the axes of the pins 49 of the opposed adjoining links,as shown more particularly in Figure 7; It will be observed, byreferring to Figure 7, that by arranging the cross bars of the conveyorin this manner, the longitudinal edges of the bars travel on the pitchcircle of the sprockets 25 and 27 as the bars pass from one run of thebelt to the other. This maintains the adjacent bars in contact with eachother as they pass around the sprocket wheels and prevents a separationof the bars from each other, as would be the case if the longitudinaledges of the bars were located at any position other than at the axes ofthe corresponding pins 49. The longitudinal edges of the cross bars ofthe conveyor are thus always maintained in contact with each other andescape of sanding material from the conveyor before said material hasbeen moved to the endof the conveyor is prevented.

As hereinbefore stated, the conveyor may be operated from the power.take-off mechanism 42, and when s'o'operated the upper run thereof isdriven rearwardly so that material carried thereby from the hopper 16will be discharged from the conveyor at the rear of the truck. The basei8 may be provided with a chute 59 secured to the rear cross bar 2!thereof in any suitable man= ner-toextehd laterally of the truck forreceiving the material discharged from the rear end of the conveyor andguiding the same to one side of the truck.

A main drive mechanism 68, asshown more particularly in Figure 4 of thedrawings, is provided for operating the conveyor in the forwarddirection. This main drive mechanism G8 comprises a pulley 61 mounted onthe drive or propeller shaft 62 of the truck to be rotated thereby.Pulley 6| is operatively connected by a series of, in this instancethree, belts 63 with a loose pulley 64 rotatably mounted upon the shaft3'2. The pulley 64 is provided at one end with a clutch element 65 whichis adapted to be engaged by a i companion clutch element 68 splined inany suitable manner to'the shaft 3'! to be rotated by said shaft and foraxial movement with respect thereto. The clutch element 66 may be movedlongitudinally of the shaft 3l into and out of engagement with theclutch element 65 in any suitable manner as by a lever indicated at 51.This lever 81 may be pivoted as at 68 to the chassis of the truckwhereby the clutch element 65 may be manually operated for operativelyconnecting the conveyor drive shaft 3'! with the drive shaft 62 of thetruck. It will be observed that when these shafts 31 and 62 are thusconnected with each other, by the main drive mechanism 60, the' conveyorWill be operated only when the drive shaft 62 is in operation and thatthe speed of operation of the shaft 31 and therefore of the conveyor i2-will be in proportion to the speed of operation of the drive shaft 62.

A chute Ill is mounted beneath the base l8 and intermediate the frontand rear wheels W and W of the truck for receiving the materialdischarged from the forward end of the conveyor 12. The chute 10 asshown in Figures 2 and 3, is connected to an adjacent cross bar 2| andthe end plate 20 of the base [8. This chute is provided with a pair offorwardly projecting spouts 'Hwhich extend downwardly at opposite sidesof the truck drive shaft section 62.

Beneath the chute I0 is mounted the herein before mentioned spreader II.This spreader H comprises a shaft 13 which extends transversely of thetruck chassis beneath the sills 22 and is journaled in suitablebrackets'l l secured to said sills. Shaft 73 has secured thereto a pairof spreader members 15 and 16. Each of these spreader members comprisesa hub portion 11 which is secured to the shaft 13 in alignment with acorresponding spout H. Connected with each hub portion '11 is a spiralblade 18 which has the inner end portion 18' thereef bent to extend in ageneral direction axially of the hub H. The shaft 13 and blades 18 arerotated in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Figure 1, from theleft hand side of the truck:

Any suitable means may be provided for rotating the shaft 73independently of the speed of operation of the truck; such as a smallgas engine mounted on a bracket 8! secured to the truck chassis. Themotor 80, as shown in Figure 2, is operatively connected with the shaftI3 by a belt 82 trained over pulleys 83 and 84 secured to the driveshaft 85 of the motor and shaft 13 respectively. It will be observedthat, due to the particular construction of the spreader blades 18 andthe arrangement thereof with respect to the spouts 1|, material passingfrom the conveyor 12 through the chute It; will .flow over the shaft 73and beengaged by the spreader blades 73. The blades-i8, swin to their'direction of random, tend to: "throw the sanding material both forwardly and laterally with respect to said truck. The distance thematerial is thrown laterally with respect to the truck depends upon thespeed of rotation of thespreader. It will now be ob served that, in asmuch as the speed of rotation of the spreader is controlledindependently of the speed of operation of the truck, the lateraldisposition of the material may be very effectively controlledirrespective of the speed of operation of the truck or the quantity ofthe material pass-, ing through the chute 'IIl. The inner endportion 18of each blade, as indicated more particularly in Figure 2 of thedrawings, is of arcuate I tical plane of the truck and thereby producesa substantially even distribution of the material transversely of theroad bed within predetermined limits. i 1

As shown more particularly in Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings, theforward end wall I5 of the hopper I0 is provided along its lower edgewith an outlet opening 81 communicating with a dis-,

charge chamber 88 formed at the forward end-of the hopper I0 byvertically disposed side Plates 89 secured-to the hopperand base I8atopposite sides of the opening 81 and an endwall 9B. The wall 90, in thisinstance, is pivotally connected to the side plates 89 by a shaft 9|securedto the upper edge of the wall 90 and journaled in the plates 89.The lower end of the member 90 terminates adjacent the upper run of theconveyor I2 and is yieldingly maintained against outward or forwardswinging movement by means of a pair of coil springs 93 arranged atopposite sides of the hopper III; The rear ends of the springs areconnected with the hopper, while the forward ends thereof are connectedto corresponding arms 94 secured to the outer ends of the shaft 9L ofthe member 90 is limited by one or more adjustable stops 96. Each stop96 may be in the form of a bolt having screw thread engagement with asupport or bracket 91 secured to the hopper I0, and arranged in the pathof movement of one of the arms 94 for contact therewith.

In order manually to adjust the member 90, with respect to the conveyorI2, for maintaining the lower end of said member 90 in a, desired spacedrelation to the conveyor and thereby govern the quantity of materialconveyed. from the discharge chamber by the conveyor, I have provided acable 99 having one end attached to the member 90. This cable extendsforwardly from member 90 over a sheave I00 connected by a bracket IOI tothe forward end of the 'base I8, and then under a second sheave I02secured to the chassis of the truck beneath the cab C, the forward endof the cable being connected with the lower end of a lever I03 whichextends upwardly through the floor of the cab in convenient position tobe actuated by a person within the cab. The lever I03 may be providedwith a latch and tooth segment structure I04 by which the lever may bereleasably maintained in any one thedischarge chamber without injury tothe mechanism. Theserocks or other objects will, of course, be depositedin the chute l0 and pass downwardly and out of the forward ends thereofand are usually urged to the side of the road by the spreader.

It will now be observed that when the hopper I0 contains a suitablesanding material such as sand, cinders, or the like, this material maybe discharged from beneath the hopper at either the forward or the rearend thereof depending upon the direction of movement ofthe conveyor I2.It is very often desirable to deposit sand, cinders, or the like adaptedfor use in sandingand repairing roads in relatively small piles adjacentthe side of the road. It is also frequently desirable, after completingthe sanding of an icyroad, to remove any unused sandingmaterial from thehopper I0, in order to prevent freezing of the sanding material in thehopper, particularly. if the truck is to stand for a considerable periodin an unheated place. In such cases, the main drive mechanism 60 isfirst rendered inoperative by movement of clutch element 66 outof'engagement with the clutch element 65, the power takeoff mechanism 42is connected to be driven by th truck motor by means of its operatinglever 45, and the conveyor I2 is then driven in the rearward direction.Material carried rearwardly by the conveyor passesbeneath the lower edgeof the rear wall It of the hopper and is deposited in the chute 59. Thelower edge of the rear wall I6 is arranged in predetermined spacedrelation to the upper run of the conveyor I2, for thi purpose. However,it will be observed that other means such as a gateconstruction'somewhat similar to the gate 90 may be readily used incon-v junction with the conveyor for governing the passage of materialfrom the rear end of the hopper Iii.

,When it is desired to use the apparatus for spreading materialcontained in the hopper II] upon the road surface, the power take-offmechaof a plurality of predetermined positions. It will nisrn 42 isrendered inoperative and the main drive mechanism Ellis renderedoperative by en-j gagement of the clutch elements 65 and 66.Furthermore, the spreader II is caused to be oper-' ated by the motor8%), while the gate 9% is adjusted by means of stop elemeht 96 to permitonly a predetermined minimum quantity of material to pass along theconveyor beneath said gate. The more vertical the position of the gateand the closer the edgethereof is maintained to the conveyor, thethinner is the layer of the eration and thespeed of movement of theconveyor will, of course, be in proportion to the speed of the truck. Itis desirable that the material spread upon the road surface be confinedin a strip not much wider than the distance between the outer sides ofthe-rear wheels W of the truck. This width of the layer ofsandingmaterial is readily controlled by the speed of operation of the spreaderII, which in turn is governed by the speed of operation of the motor 80.It is sometimes desirable to add more of the sanding material to someportions of the roadway than to other portions thereof and a man in thecab may readily govern the amount of material applied to theroadwaywithout stopping the operation of the truck by merelymanipulating the lever I03 to adjust the gate with respect to theconveyor I2. It will thus be understood that I have produced simple,efficient means whereby road sanding material may be quicklyandeconomically applied to roadways and in such 'a manner as to enablethetruck to operate most efiici'en-tly due to the sanding material being'di'scharged upon the roadway in front of the rear drive wheels of thetruck. This is-particuIarIy advantageous when passing around'icy curvesand along steep grades,

Although I have shown and particularly described the preferredembodiment of my inven ti'on, I do not wish tobe limited to the exactconstruction shown, as various changes both in the form and relation ofthe parts thereof may be readily madewithout departing from thespirit'of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

I. An apparatus for sanding roads or the like adapted to be mounted upona motor truck and comprising in combination, a hopper having'an openbottom, an endless conveyor extending forward and rearward of the truckand located immediately beneath said open bottom and so constructed andarranged as to have an upper run serving to substantially close saidopen bottom and to support material contained in said hopper againstgravitational discharge through said open bottom, said hopper having aforward outlet disposed transversely of and immediately above said upperrun of the conveyor and adapted to permit discharge of materialtherethrough and over the forward end of the conveyor upon travel of theupper run of the conveyor in the forward direction, a spreader forreceiving and laterally distributing material discharged through saidoutlet, said spreader being constructed to deposit material in advanceor the rear wheels of the truck, manually controlled means for drivingsaid conveyor in' said forward direction at a speed dependent upon theforward speed of the truck, whereby material may be spread at a rateautomatically varying in ac cordance with the forward speed of thetruck, said hopper having a rear outlet disposed transversely of andimmediately above said upper run o'f'the conveyor and adapted to permitdischarge oi material 'ther'e'through and over the rear end of theconveyor upon travel of the upper run of the conveyor in the rearwarddirection, and manually controlled means for driving said conve'yor insaid rearward direction regardless of the movement of the truck, wherebymaterial maybe discharged at the rear of the truck whether the truck ismoving or standing.

2. The combination as claimed in claim 1 in which said conveyor"comprises a pair of spaced linkv-belt'chains cross connected by bars theedges of which substantially coincide with the axes.

of the pins of the chains.

'3. apparatus of the character described adapted to be mounted upon amotor truck and comprising in combination, a hopper having an openbottom, an endless conveyor extending forward and rearward of the truckand located immediately beneath said open bottom and so constructed andarranged as to have an upper run serving to substantially close saidopen bottom and to-support material contained in said hopper againstgravitational discharge through said open bottom, said hopper havingforward and rear outlets disposed transversely of and immediately abovesaid upper run of theconveyor and adapted to permit discharge ofmaterial therethrough and over the forward or rear end of the-conveyorrespectively upon travelof the upper of theconveyor in the forward orrearward directions respectively, a spreader for receiving and laterallydistributing material discharged through the forward outlet, saidspreader being constructed to deposit material in advance of the rearwheels of the truck, and manually controlled means for selectivelydriving said conveyor from the truck motor either in said forwarddirection in proportion to the forward speed of the truck Or in saidrearward direction regardless of the movement of the truck, wherebymaterial may be either spread in advance of the rear wheels of' thetruck or deposited in a compact stream at the rear of the'truck.

ARTHUR C. HOPIHNS'.

